Nacho so macho

Despite the niggle of a slight hamstring injury, Nacho Gonzalez has declared himself fit for the cup tie tonight, with the expectation being that he`ll play through the pain barrier. Having only made fleeting subs appearances so far since returning from international duty, it remains to be seen whether he`ll play the full 90 or even start. However the player himself declared:

"For me this is a new competition, but I know how important it is to Newcastle. It`s vital that we get through. I thought the noise was incredible against Hull and I am looking ahead to the game. I have won two titles at Danubio and I see this as a chance to get another here with Newcastle.

I know Gustavo Poyet and I know that they still have a lot of good players in their squad. Yet, we showed strength at West Ham at the end. But we need to do that for the full 90 minutes. At the moment I have a little bit of pain. Hopefully it will get better. I know I have to continue because we have other injury problems. But Chris Hughton said he wanted me to play some part and I have to put the team first and be with them. I want to play more games.

It has not been easy for me. Things have not been too good and there has been tension. This is because Kevin Keegan left the club. I understand that, but as a professional you should not let that affect your game. The club have still treated me very well and I am very happy to be here."